6 pts......all strict contact iso. All have either trachs, vents, or both. All are incontinent B&B. All have a huge list of meds that must be crushed and given via PEG. We are talking total care here........makes for a long day.....
Family is present frequently and requires a lot of attention.
Very very hard job.
But then speech patho comes and puts a passey muir on one of my pts and the first thing she says to me is "thank you for being such a comfort to me".
That makes it all worthwhile. Then another family, the mom and the brother of a guy my age...he is weaning off the vent but he will likely never progress beyond a GCS score of 5.....as they were leaving...it is my custom to touch people on the shoulder lightly to reassure them....well this time I did that and they wrapped their arms around me and gave me a huge hug.....
Then another....her dad is GCS 3, vent dependent.....being dc'd to home under hospice care....again...another big hug.....
Another thread says nursing is slavery...I say nursing is a labor of love. I say that many seem to have lost the caring and compassion element of nursing.
I say that if any nurse does not love what they do...it may be time for them to re-evaluate what they are doing.......